Haddam Board Of Selectmen Meeting Draws Supporters, Critics Of Official Who Knelt During Pledge

Raising their voices for the last line of the pledge of allegiance, "with liberty and justice for all," Haddam selectman Larry Maggi and attendees at Monday's board meeting, stand as Selectwoman Melissa Schlag kneels to protest several of Donald Trump's policies, (Mark Mirko / Mark Mirko)

Monday night's board of selectmen meeting in this pastoral Connecticut River town featured a discussion on the closing of an elementary school, the awarding of a lawn care bid and a deeply polarizing debate over the meaning of the First Amendment.

The conflict was set off at a board meeting earlier this month when Democratic Selectwoman Melissa J. Schlag knelt during the Pledge of Allegiance to protest President Donald Trump's defense of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, his hardline on undocumented immigrants and other policies put forth by the Republican president.

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Her stance, which echoes the public dissents of NFL players, drew harsh condemnation from critics, including several Republican gubernatorial candidates, and a spirited defense from supporters.

On Monday, the first board meeting after the controversy, both sides came to the Haddam Volunteer Firehouse as the minutia of small town government gave way to an impassioned display reflecting the cultural and political fault lines of the Trump era.

"This is political speech,'' Paul White, a 49-year-old local attorney, said over jeers from some in the audience. 'Whether I agree or not it doesn't matter. She has the right … to convey a political message."

But Calvin Bunnel, 71, came from Meriden to express his anger at Schlag's silent protest. "You don't turn your back on the flag,'' he said. He wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the message, "If you don't like this flag, I'll help you pack your bags."

I did not go to Vietnam … to pick and choose who gets to be better Americans.

Bob Wallin, Haddam

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Bunnel served in Vietnam and, like many other veterans in the audience, views kneeling during the pledge as a sign of profound disrespect to those who served in the military.

"I wholeheartedly respect your right to protest, to take a knee,'' said Pablo Arroyo, a 58-year-old town resident who served in the Marine Corps. "But if that's what you would like to do, do it on your own time. I am not here to disrespect you as you've done to my flag, my country."

Arroyo recalled 18 Marines in his platoon who were killed in a suicide bombing in Beruit. Looking directly at Schlag, he said: "What you did was urinate on all their graves."

But not all of the veterans in the audience took the same view. Bob Wallin, a 71-year-old town resident and a combat veteran who served in Vietnam, delivered a poignant defense of Schlag's constitutional right to peacefully protest.

"I took an oath to defend the Constitution,'' Wallin said. "The Constitution starts with the First Amendment. She has that right. I'm not agreeing with her and I think the reason she does it is stupid. I don't care."

Wallin said he was exposed to Agent Orange and is suffering the effects of that exposure. As he offered up his brief comments, he grew too weak to stand and was given a chair and a bottle of water.

"I did not go to Vietnam … to pick and choose who gets to be better Americans,'' Wallin declared. Speaking to the politicians who have denounced Schlag, he said "Screw you. None of you earned that right … you people make me mad."

Instead of expressing outrage at Schlag on social media, Wallin implored the crowd to turn its anger toward helping veterans. "You want to be upset right on Facebook? Well, two veterans a day commit suicide,'' he said.

Before the meeting started, Schlag's critics, led by Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Herbst and Republican candidate for state treasurer Art Linares, held a rally on the town green. As Lee Greenwood's conservative anthem, "God Bless the U.S.A.,'' blared from speakers, a crowd of about 75 — including a few in “Make America Great Again” hats and Trump T-shirts — came together to stand for the flag.

"It's completely disrespectful,'' said Linares, a state senator whose district includes Haddam.

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Linares invoke his grandfather, who was jailed for standing up to Fidel Castro before fleeing Communist Cuba. "This flag, our flag, represents the freedoms that make this country so great,'' he said, "and he would have been so disappointed and sad to see what happened at that selectmen's meeting."

About a quarter of a mile away, on the long road leading to the firehouse, another crowd of about 75 gathered to stand in solidarity with Schlag. Several people donned black and put tape over their mouths to symbolize what they said were attempts to silence the selectwoman. A few wore T-shirts identifying themselves as members of the Trump resistance; others were dressed in Hillary Clinton campaign swag.

"Seeing one of our selectmen being attacked for exercising her rights, and seeing Republicans campaign off it to rile up their base, I thought it was important to be here,'' said Aubrey Bingham, 35, of Haddam.

Schlag isn’t the only Connecticut River Valley elected official to take a knee during the Pledge of Allegiance.

For the past year and a half, two members of the Region 17 school board — Democrat Eric Couture of Killingworth and Republican Maura Wallin of Haddam — have silently taken a knee while the pledge was recited.

But for some reason, Schlag's protest set off a storm of controversy. Monday's meeting drew more than 150 people to the firehouse on a steamy July night. At the start, Schlag once again knelt as the other board members recited the pledge with hands over their hearts.

"Did you kneel during the Obama administration?'' someone in the audience yelled at one point.

“I appreciate everyone coming out because this is truly town government at its best,'' Schlag said. "We need to continue the conversation or hate will continue to fester. We need to rip the bandage off. We can't wrap our sins in a flag and expect it to be OK."